


A Bat, A Cat, and A Lawyer Walk into a Bar

by Fandom_Trash224



Series: Twilly's Batman Fanverse [3]
Category: DCU
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, LISTEN listen bruce having childhood friends is very important to me, but also pining bruce is very important to me so ships are squinty until chapter 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 00:44:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17396867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash224/pseuds/Fandom_Trash224
Summary: "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart" ~Eleanor RooseveltOr: the one in which Bruce has two friends and Batman has two enemies who happen to be the same people





	1. Harvey

Harvey was practically pounding on the large, wooden doors of the old mansion after the cab dropped him off. He would’ve used the doorbell, or the large, brass knockers, but he was in too much of a rush to care. The moment he had picked up the phone, hearing a concerned Alfred on the other end of the line, the ten-year-old was practically flying out the door, throwing on his shoes and raincoat over his pajamas before hailing a cab on the dark streets of Gotham.

A bad idea? Probably. His dad would probably give him hell for it later, telling him how dangerous Gotham was at night, but when Alfred said the word “death” and “parents” in the same sentence as “Master Bruce”, Harvey knew he had to go. Bruce was his best friend, and he needed him, and _dangit_ , Harvey was going to be there for him.

Though, when he actually got there…

“Go _away_ , Harvey,” Bruce’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door “I’m _fine_.”

“You don’t _sound_ fine.” Harvey said, keeping his ear pressed up against the door to hear his friend better. He was right, Bruce didn’t sound okay. He sounded _awful_ , his voice somewhat hoarse, clogged up like he had been crying (Harvey didn’t blame him on either count).

“Yeah, well, I am, so you can go away.”

Harvey pulled away from the door, huffing slightly. Part of him wanted to just force Alfred to let him in, but knowing how _he_ felt when his mom died… Maybe that wasn’t the best scenario. When he kept pushing Bruce away, Bruce didn’t force himself in, he just… waited. He sat by Harvey in classes he could and ate with him at lunch, came over every day or invited him over, both cases Bruce would just end up talking to him about random stuff to try and make him laugh (which he often did, Bruce was good like that).

That was an idea, but could Harvey pull it off?

The sound of Bruce crying through the door made Harvey decide that he _had_ to.

The first time he visited after that night, he spent most of his time sitting outside Bruce’s door, just talking about what Bruce missed in class that day, how Mrs. Gerbsher had her baby that morning after going into labor in the middle of the announcements, how Treyvon made a really funny joke about birds that he couldn’t remember the punchline for, but he knew it was funny, and a whole bunch of other stuff until Alfred finally forced him to go home.

The second and third times were almost the same, though he could sometimes hear Bruce walking around in his room, not saying anything, but it was nice enough to know that Bruce was probably enjoying the white noise Harvey was (hopefully) bringing.

The fourth time, it was less for Bruce’s sake, and more for Harvey’s. Harvey’s dad was being awful (again) and threatened him (again), so he had come over, telling Bruce all about it through the wooden door, barely keeping his composure. Alfred said that Harvey could stay for dinner, even the night, if he’d like, and Harvey agreed.

Bruce came down shortly after, completely silent and face neutral. He continued his silence as he ate, as they helped Alfred clean (though he insisted it was his job to do it alone), and even as Harvey followed him back up to his room. As Bruce prepared to open the door, and presumably shut himself away again, Harvey spoke up.

“Bruce, Alfred called my dad and told him I was staying the night,” he paused, waiting to see if Bruce would say anything, and when he didn’t, Harvey continued “I just wanted to let you know that. I’ll be in the guest bedroom if you need m--”

Bruce made a noise, like he was clearing his throat. Harvey could barely make out Bruce mouthing words, hearing small, whispery breaths. Was he… talking?

“Sorry, Bruce, but I didn’t hear--”

“I said,” Bruce said, his voice soft but loud enough for Harvey to hear “You can stay in my room tonight, if you want.”

Harvey’s face lit up. “Really?” he exclaimed, not even trying to hide his happiness at Bruce opening up again. Bruce shrugged slightly.

“I know you don’t like the guest room much,” he said, looking over at Harvey and offering a slight smile “Plus, you’re here so often, you’re not really a guest anymore.”

There was a slight _‘oomph’_ sound as Harvey practically tackled Bruce into a hug, which Bruce (for once) didn’t fight to get out of.

Alfred, watching the scene from just down the hall as he dusted, couldn’t help but smile.


	2. Selina

Selina didn’t belong at Gotham Academy. She knew that fact painfully well, even without the other students  _ helpfully  _ reminding her of that. 

Everyone there had a nice, clean, crisp uniform to wear every day, sometimes they even  _ had  _ one for every day of the week. Selina was lucky to find one at Goodwill in her size (and even then, the sweater was too big and the socks had holes in the toes). Everyone there was wealthy or talented. Selina grew up on the streets, bouncing between foster parents, her greatest talent being able to outrun and hide from authority figures. 

But, most of all, all the kids there had parents to pick them up and tell them they loved them, pack their lunches and join the PTA. Selina was lucky to even get half a doughnut in her brown bag lunch sometimes, had to walk home in the pouring rain by herself when she didn’t scrounge up enough for cab money, had to tell herself she loved who she was.

Selina didn’t know Bruce Wayne all that well until after he lost his parents, too. He still had a butler to take care of him, but it almost seemed like all his so-called friends had smelled blood in the water, and abandoned him to join the friend groups that ostracized him. He sat alone at lunch, his only company the one friend that hadn’t abandoned him at that point (a boy named Harvey Dent, Selina only knew him from Biology).

Now, Selina didn’t try to cause too much of a ruckus. She was there only so the school could get a grant for allowing a “less fortunate” member of society be there, but she was constantly being reminded that if she took one step out of line, they’d find another. She didn’t fit in well, but GA was  _ much  _ better than any public school in the slums that her current foster home was zoned in, so she behaved.

But, at that moment, she was ready to throw down, because Bruce Wayne was sitting in her sit. 

Now, in retrospect, it wasn’t a big deal, but in any school, where you sat at lunch determined who you were “in” with. Selina wasn’t “in” with anyone, so she didn’t sit with anyone. Now that Bruce Wayne was an outcast, he couldn’t sit with anyone, save for Harvey. That was how things worked. Territory was divided, and nobody crossed the lines.

And Bruce Wayne was sitting in her seat. 

Which she told him, to which he had simply replied: “So?”

And that was how Selina, Harvey, and Bruce all ended up sitting outside the principal’s office as he spoke to their guardians. Harvey held an ice pack over his black eye, Bruce doing something similar to the bruise on his chin from where Selina had punched him. Selina, meanwhile, was simply sitting there, staring down into her lap, trying not to listen in on the yelling between the guardians and the principal, making small glances towards the two boys. An awkward silence was between them, the only noises coming from the AC and the office, but it felt like there was no noise, the tenseness of the situation swallowing it like a vacuum. Then, it was broken.

“I’m sorry I sat in your seat,” Bruce said, quietly “I didn’t realize you sat there, and I didn’t want to seem stupid by changing where I sat.”

“It’s okay,” Selina replied “I overreacted a bit. I’m sorry I punched you and Harvey.”

Harvey only mumbled a reply, but Selina swore it sounded like “it’s fine”, so she was okay with it.

Selina was only suspended for her actions, mostly because neither of the boys wanted to press charges and it was her first incident, but she was on thin ice with the school after that, but, much to her surprise, not with Bruce  _ or  _ Harvey.

Bruce made it a point to ask if they could sit with her every day after she was finished getting her own lunch, to which she always replied “yes”, because, really, it was the least she could do after punching them both hard enough to bruise like that. They didn’t talk much at first, mostly just mentioning homework and tests coming up, but as time went on, Selina learned more about both of them, and they learned more about her.

“So, wait,” Selina began one day after gulping down a mouthful of pasta Alfred had sent along with Bruce for her “you own your parent’s  _ entire  _ company?”

“When I turn 18 I will, but for now, I'm just the heir.”

“But you have like, a  _ bunch  _ of influence and money from it, right?”

Bruce shrugged. “Money, yeah. I'm not so sure about influence. I mean, I'm only 10. 11 next March.”

“Still, it’s more than we have, Bruce.” Selina pushed the empty container back to Bruce, who put it back into his bag. His face looked thoughtful, almost contemplative, before switching to a slight smile. 

“Well, when I’m an adult, I’ll help you be influential,” Bruce said, as the slight smile turned into a beaming one “You  _ and  _ Harvey! Think about it! I’ll be the richest man in Gotham, and I’ll help fund Harvey’s DA campaign, as well as whatever you want to do! We’ll be unstoppable!”

Selina couldn’t stifle the giggle that came from her, though, after glancing at Harvey, it was obvious he could, as he was pressing a hand hard to his mouth, making noises from the back of his throat. Bruce gave her a head-tilt, before he turned beet red. He had begun shouting, and, at his final declaration, had stood up on his chair triumphantly, causing everyone else in the cafeteria to stare. 

Bruce quickly sat back down, with Selina laughing as she gave him a reassuring pat on the back, Harvey mirroring the action on the other side of Bruce.    
Selina didn’t belong at Gotham Academy, but she  _ did  _ belong with Bruce and Harvey, and that was enough for the three of them.


End file.
